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Thursday, March 5, 2009

THE THREE MISTAKES OF MY LIFE : WORTH A READ

An amateurish yet enthusing tale of three people (yet again!) by Chetan Bhagat.When I asked some of the guys who had read this book if I should read it they told me it was not in the same class as Chetan's earlier creation FIVE POINT SOMEONE.But after reading the book I thought I should beg to differ.This book is as interesting as Chetan Bhagat's earlier offering.In fact, intertwining of the main plot with real events makes THE THREE MISTAKES OF MY LIFE even more appealing.

THE THREE MISTAKES OF MY LIFE is the story of three close friends Govind,Ish and Omi.Govind loves business,Ish loves cricket and Omi is taken by religion.Govind wishes to start a business with Ish and Omi as partners.Together they establish a cricket store on land that belongs to Omi's family who own a temple in the vicinity.The shop rakes in good profits thanks to Ish's cricketing wisdom and Govind's business acumen.Govind decides to make his next big move by establishing a posh cricket store in an upcoming mall in the next city.Meanwhile Ish spots a Muslim boy named Ali who has exceptional talent as a batsman and wants to train him to be the next best thing that ever happened to Indian cricket.What follows forms the crux of the story.Ish's sister Vidya provides another twist to Govind's turbulent life.However it is the portrayal of Omi's religion fanatic uncle that steals the show.

What impressed me most was the way Chetan Bhagat combined fact and fiction.Govind's dreams of establishing a posh cricket store in an upcoming mall in the next city are crushed by the earthquake in Gujarat on the 26th of January,2001.The setting of the Sabarmati Express on fire by miscreants is also used by Chetan Bhagat and sadly the incident consumes Omi's cousin.And of course Chetan gives an interesting take on the memorable Kolkata test at Eden Gardens when Ganguly's men grasped victory from the jaws of defeat against Steve Waugh's world beating squad.Communal riots form a very important part of the story and ultimately lead to a gruesome climax.The conversation exchanges between Ish's sister Vidya and Govind that lead to their falling in love with each other are very fresh and captivating until the point when the author takes things a bit too far in the name of romance.

Overall if you enjoyed FIVE POINT SOMEONE my suggestion is that you should definitely give this book a try and dont be too surprised if it does impress you.